Reflections on Matriliny through Pinky Peach Coloured Glass

Photo supplied

Designer: Natalie Smith

Photo supplied

Designer Statement:

The smell of cigarette smoke and the accoutrements of smoking remind me of my matrilineal past, connecting me back to my Grandmother, Alys (1917- 2005), and her views on the world, views that simultaneously reflected European values, while also expressing gratitude that her granddaughters were growing up in Aotearoa New Zealand, the first country in the world to grant women the vote.

Alys was an incredible dressmaker, sewing for all her family. When she finished an item of clothing and gave it to us it had her scent, the soft earthy smell of Park Drive Tobacco combined with a faint expensive whiff of Chanel #5.

Cigarettes bring back strong memories of my maternal past, evoking conversation, and creativity. In these smokey spaces I learnt to sew, I heard about my own family history and a women’s history of New Zealand, I also learnt about style, albeit European style.

Reflections on Matriliny through Pinky Peach Coloured Glass (2023) pays homage to those conversations, the Made in France pinky peach coloured glass ashtray is used to create the green coloured shape screen-printed onto frost cloth. Alys believed that you should choose one colour for your wardrobe and wear only that colour, her colour was green. I have chosen a non-traditional fabric to symbolise my own fashion awakening which occurred during a local fashion parade, the finale piece was created from plastic rubbish bags and as the model walked down the runway my 7 year-old self was spellbound.

Designer Bio:

Natalie Smith has a lifelong interest in fashion. She has a Certificate in Fashion from Otago Polytechnic, wrote an MA on the Wearable Art Awards and her PhD explored the art/fashion nexus. Natalie likes to work with unusual materials and has experimented with screen printing and dyeing fabric.